Start Anew
by FlaglerDarling
Summary: After a final blow-out the day after graduation with Kristy, Mary Anne left Stoneybrook for Columbia University and never looked back. After coming home for the first time in ten years, how will she react after seeing what she left behind?
1. Mary Anne

Title: Start Anew  
  
Author: Sweet Piglet  
  
  
  
AN the First: Hello. This is Sweet Piglet. Some of you may have read this story, under the same title, under the account for "Wildcat Wells," and written by a "Lizzie C." The author is one and the same. So, just for future reference, this is the official home for "Start Anew."  
  
  
  
  
  
This wasn't how Mary Anne had planned this. She had planned on coming back, sure. It was all going to be perfect. 28 years old, with a degree from Columbia, a penthouse in NYC, waltzing into the Stoneybrook Hilton's ball room at the ten year reunion in a stunning Christian Dior gown. It was going to be perfect.  
  
But then she got the news that her father died from a heart attack. Sharon was overly distraught and was barely functioning. So Mary Anne came back to Stoneybrook to take care of final arrangements. She still had the degree, the penthouse. She even brought the gown with her, because she was leaving two days after the reunion.  
  
She tried to stay at the house, the one she had only lived in for five years, the one they had rebuilt after the fire destroyed the farmhouse, but found that she couldn't bear being there. There were too many memories, too many reminders of her father there.  
  
So she stayed at the Hilton. She had rented a car, a nice one, like the ones she rented all over the world, in case she had wanted to go anywhere. And, she found, she did. Want to go somewhere, that is.  
  
She went for a drive, trying to clear her head. Mary Anne put the top down on the convertible and cruised around Stoneybrook, around a town she hadn't been in for ten years.  
  
First Stop, Main Street. They tore down Uncle Ed's, the Merry-go-Round, Thelma's Cafe, a few random buildings, even the old Stoneybrook Bank, built circa 1872. They put up a new business complex, complete with a metal sculpture, designed and made by- what name is that? Is it Claudia Kishi? Mary Anne wasn't surprised. Every time she went to Chicago on business, it seemed, Claudia Kishi was the main feature of one gallery or another. She was pleased. Claudia had fallen in love with Chicago on that road trip they took the summer after 8th grade.  
  
The next place she went to was Rosedale Road. Mary Anne was pleased to see that the Stoneybrook General Hospital was still there. It appeared, though, that Jugtown had been replaced with the new hospital wing.  
  
Bracing herself, she went slightly left off of Rosedale, parked along the side of the road, and found herself where she had lived for thirteen years of her life. At 58 Bradford Court, two cars were parked out in the driveway. The one had to be Janine's, with a bumper sticker that said, "I brake for quantum physics." The other had a vanity license plate "JER N JAN." Mary Anne took this to mean that, despite their differences, Jerry and Janine bit the bullet and tied the knot.  
  
Across the street from the Kishis- Michaels', it was now, for Mary Anne vaguely remembered Sharon telling her that Claud's parents had died- a girl, dressed entirely in black and a scowl, stood in her driveway, alternating between looking at her watch and looking down the road. Even after ten or more years, Mary Anne could still recognize the girl. It was Myriah Perkins, the girl whose family moved into Kristy Thomas's old house fifteen years ago. At first look, this girl, formerly a fan of happy and pretty clothes, couldn't be any more different than her old self. Even so, when her ride pulled up on a motorcycle, it appeared that not everything had changed, because Mary Anne could still see the dimples on Myriah's cheeks when she smiled at her ride.  
  
Next door, a young woman was going up the driveway from her SUV to the Hobarts' home, where Mary Anne herself had lived fifteen years ago. She was pushing a double stroller, and a tall man was on her side, holding the hand of a little girl. An older woman, with salt-and-pepper hair, opened the door, and Mary Anne ducked when she heard the woman call out, "Mal, Ben. We weren't expecting you for another half hour." She cringed when she heard Mallory Pike-Hobart (because Mallory insisted on being a hyphenated wife, even as a teen) respond, "Well, little Miss Mary Anne here wanted to see Grammy and Pop-Pop." Did Mallory really name her first child 'Mary Anne'?  
  
Shifting quickly out of park, Mary Anne decided to leave. Heading back to downtown, she realized that she was starving. She pulled into the Rosebud Cafe's parking lot, figuring that she could get a coffee or something else to soothe her frazzled nerves. She walked into the restaurant, and sat down at a seat at the counter. Mary Anne picked up a menu and was focusing on it so hard that she barely noticed the woman who sat down next to her.  
  
Deciding on what she wanted, Mary Anne signaled for the waitress at the counter. "What'll it be?" asked the waitress.  
  
Still looking at the menu, Mary Anne replied, "I'll have a grasshopper milkshake and an onion ring platter with-"  
  
"A little bowl of bleu cheese dressing on the side," finished the woman sitting next to Mary Anne, a woman Mary Anne had not seen in ten years, a woman Mary Anne had hoped not to see on her trip until the reunion, a woman Mary Anne had secretly hoped not to see on her trip at all.  
  
She was gaping. And Mary Anne never gaped. No, the Academy Award winning screenwriter did not gape. And yet, there she was, doing something she never did. It was not the first time.  
  
"Kristy," she said faintly, blinking rapidly, trying her hardest to confirm that the woman beside her was indeed her best friend of 18 years, Kristy Thomas. "Hi."  
  
"Hey," Kristy said back.  
  
There was an awkward silence as the two figured out what they were going to say to the other.  
  
"So, um, Kristy," started Mary Anne. "How did you know what I was going to order?"  
  
Kristy blushed. "Oh, that? Well, in high school, whenever you had something big on your mind, we'd always come down here, and you would always order the same thing: a grasshopper shake and onion rings with bleu cheese dressing."  
  
Mary Anne laughed. "Yeah, and you'd order a peanut butter fudge shake and cheese fries, and we'd get a back booth and just talk," she said.  
  
Smiling wanly, Kristy replied, "We did that a lot at the end of senior year," then blanched. "Oh, my God," she said, panicking at the look on Mary Anne's face. "I did NOT mean to say that. I really-"  
  
"It's no big deal." Mary Anne cut her off in a strained tone. "So," she said, trying to get back to a conversation, "What have you been up to?"  
  
"Well, Bart and I got married the summer after senior year, but you knew that." Kristy said.  
  
"No. No, actually, I didn't know that." Mary Anne said.  
  
"Oh? Well, it was the talk of the town for months after, you know, because of my mom and Bart's mom wanting their kids to have the perfect wedding. I would have thought Sharon or your dad would have mentioned it..." Kristy trailed off.  
  
"They didn't say anything about," Mary Anne told her with a twinge of guilt. "What about Charlie and Sam?"  
  
"Well," Kristy said, leaning towards her best friend as if ten years hadn't passed since they spoke their last, bitter words to one another, "Charlie got engaged on Christmas Day to Laura Sanchez. She, Jessi, and Mal worked together at Stoneybrook Day Camp, way back when. She's really nice. And Sam. You remember Kathy? The girl he was dating? Well, they broke up. Guess who he's married to. Go on. Guess."  
  
"Um, I don't know," Mary Anne said, racking her brain. "Cokie Mason?" she guessed, joking.  
  
"Geez, Mary Anne. Sam has better taste than that," Kristy said. "Especially since he tied the knot with Stacey."  
  
"You are kidding me!" Mary Anne squealed, because although she did not gape, she did squeal. "Are they coming to the reunion? It will be great to see them."  
  
"Yes, they're coming, all two and a half of them," Kristy informed her with a little grin.  
  
"You mean Stacey's expecting?" Mary Anne gasped. "Oh, that is so wonderful! She'll make a wonderful mother."  
  
"Yeah, I told her that after my third," Kristy said.  
  
"Your third?" Mary Anne confirmed.  
  
"Yep." Kristy smiled happily. "Little Beth. Her big sister, Robin, is eight, and big brother Patrick is five."  
  
"Oh, how cute. Do you work?"  
  
"Only at home. Bart's got enough for us to live on."  
  
"What about Jessi? How's she doing?"  
  
"Jessi's teaching at Stamford Ballet School. Quint is working in NYC at Julliard, and he commutes every day."  
  
"Must be tough on them. Any kids?"  
  
"None yet. But Jessi wants some by the time she's thirty."  
  
"Good aspirations. And Mal? I saw her earlier. Three kids?"  
  
"Yep. Kristy, Stacey, and Mary Anne. She and Ben live in New Hope."  
  
"Is that intentional?"  
  
"What, the naming? Yeah. She wants a big family. And, so far, has been blessed with only girls."  
  
"I know that Claudia is all the rage in Chicago. I go there all the time on research. What's Abby up to?"  
  
"Abby got her teaching certification right after college, and teaches high school physical education in Hartford."  
  
"And. . . Logan?"  
  
"Logan's writing for the Stoneybrook News."  
  
"Wow," Mary Anne said softly. "I've missed a lot in the last ten years."  
  
"Yeah," said Kristy sadly. "You did."  
  
"Well," Mary Anne said in a defensive tone, "I was going through a good deal of turmoil around graduation. And you didn't help any."  
  
"What, I was supposed to be happy that you got yourself pregnant?" Kristy retorted. "Yeah, that would have done you a lot of good."  
  
"You could have NOT told me to marry him. That would have been better than saying, 'Mary Anne, you have got to marry RJ Blaser. It is the only respectable thing to do.'"  
  
"Well, it was! You get yourself knocked up, you should take some responsibility for it!"  
  
"Oh, marrying someone I don't love is responsible?"  
  
"If you didn't love him, then why did it happen?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"Maybe you should have known first."  
  
"Look, Kristy, I had a lot of plans. And a baby would not have fit into those plans!"  
  
"You should have thought about that."  
  
"There's a lot I should have thought about." Mary Anne grabbed her purse and started to get up.  
  
"Mary Anne, wait," Kristy said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten involved. I was just upset, you know? You and I have not talked for ten years. Not since you stormed out of my house after that last big fight."  
  
"Yeah. I left for New York the next day, you know. Talked with a private adoption agency. Found a nice couple."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah. They'll be able to give her a better home, a better family, a better life than I would have."  
  
"Did you see her?"  
  
"I got to name her."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Alma. I've really got to go, Kristy. I'll see you at the reunion?"  
  
"Definitely. Bye, Mary Anne."  
  
"Bye. Oh, and Kristy?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Mary Anne smiled sadly. "She turned ten today," was all she said before she left the Rosebud Cafe.  
  
  
  
AN the Second: Me again. At the other locale of "Start Anew," there were some things that I wanted to clear up, so here goes nothing.  
  
"Do you plan on continuing?" Asked and commented (in varying forms) by Kathleen Emerson, Sleather Chonkers, BalletPrincess, Katerina, teacherchez, Undying Phoenix, CNJ, Muah-Baby-Muah, Fay Mish, Kat, Jaded Rose, JeN, and SUNNYEXISTENCE. The answer is "Yes." Now, understand. I was not planning on doing so. But, after getting 11 reviews in 5 days, I changed my mind. So keep your eyes open for more of "Start Anew"!  
  
"Why would Kristy name her first son after the father that left her?" Queried by BalletPrincess. Ah, I was wondering who would spot that. Yes, Patrick is named after Patrick Thomas, Kristy's long-lost father. Long- lost, that is, for 7 years. In "Kristy's Book," Patrick actually does come back to see her, although it may not have been a grand experience, as he ditches her again (much like the movie, no?) But in BSC Friends Forever #1, "Kristy's Big News," she heads to California for Patrick's wedding to Zoey, who is actually liked by Kristy, Sam, and Charlie. I figure that Kristy likes Zoey enough to keep in contact with her father, who does now show signs of settling down.  
  
"Why on earth would Mal name her kids after the BSC members?" Also asked by BalletPrincess. Well, the thing is, that I figured Mallory to be a friend oriented kind of person. After all, in #100, she and Jessi are the only ones who vote against disbanding the club. And, after her leaving for boarding school in #126, I thought that that would only strengthen her bond with her friends. So, both of those are my little spin on the books.  
  
To CNJ, who mentioned that my portrayal of Kristy seemed a bit out of canon: Yes, it does seem like that, doesn't it? Well, you are just going to have to wait a bit of time to see why she is like that. If anyone can guess why Kristy seems to be small-minded or judgemental, you will have a cameo. But not as a new friend of the sitters. No, I'm thinking more along the lines of an adult who will appear here and is not in the books.  
  
One more thing. I know that everyone who reads these retains a good bit of the information. But believe me when I say that everything that goes into this story, with the exceptions of characters I make up, is from the books. Doubt me, do you? The List of BSC books that I own: BSC 1-131; Mysteries 1-36; Super Specials 1-15; Super Mysteries 1-4; Mary Anne's Book, Dawn's Book, Kristy's Book, Claudia's Book, Abby's Book, and Stacey's Book; Logan's Story, Logan Bruno: Boy Baby-Sitter, Shannon's Story; BSC Friends Forever 1-12; BSC Friends Forever Specials 1-2; The Complete Guide To The Baby-Sitters Club; any of the other stories that are not mentioned here. Note: I did not read the Baby-Sitters Little Sister books, so Karen Brewer will be based off of the normal books.  
  
Please let me know if you like/don't like/are confused about/hate my stories. I take constructive criticism very well. At least, that is what my anger management specialist tells me. . . 


	2. Mary Anne

Title: Start Anew

Author: Sweet Piglet

AN the First: First and foremost, I'd like to extend an apology. I've never posted anything on Fanfiction.net before, and so finding the right way to put up a story took a little while to understand. Secondly, to SUNNYEXISTENCE, I'm sorry. I have no control over what happens under the penname "Wildcat Wells" and when I sent the update to the person in charge, I was a bit vague as to what I wanted done. I posted it so that people would know that this is the official home of Start Anew, and I wanted to keep all my other reviews. Greedy, yes, but I'm a sixteen year old author who attends a school that doesn't appreciate the art of writing. I'll take anything I can get.

This is where things are going to get complicated. I've got great ideas for this story, but the gifted student in me won't let me write in chronological order. I will try my hardest to make this less confusing for everyone. From now on, at the top of each story will be a little line that will have this basic format:

[Character's Name][T-minus number of years until 10 year reunion for the older sitters]

For example, this chapter is

[Mary Anne][T-minus 10 years]

Is that clear?

Also, I will have Jessi and Mallory stories. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't. I will, in the chapter name, have the character who is the main for that particular chapter.

I have a habit of finding mistakes too late, so please bear with me and my proof-reading ways. Also, a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far.

One more thing. Since my shcool year ended yesterday, I will be able to update often (if I get the old cogs upstairs turning) However, don't expect anything between 4/6 and 10/6. I will be out of contact with computers.

It was a circle. It was a circle, and that was bad. It meant that Mary Anne Spier's whole life was about to change.

She didn't even remember it. It was on her birthday, and with RJ Blaser. She had wanted to prove that she was mature, so she got drunk. Good way to show maturity, huh? Now she had to be mature. Now she was pregnant.

Sighing, Mary Anne picked up the phone. She dialed KL5-4742.

"Hello?" asked the voice that answered.

"RJ? This is Mary Anne Spier."

"Oh, hey. Look, I can't talk. Cokie's here and-"

"Well, send her home. I need to talk to you, and you need to be alone."

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

RJ sighed, and Mary Anne could hear some muffled sound from his end of the line. "I'm back."

"Good. I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

Mary Anne rolled her eyes. This was what she got for sleeping with a jock.

"I said, I'm pregnant. You know, expecting, with child, knitting tiny booties, eating for two, there's a bun in the oven. Pregnant!"

"Wha- But- How?"

"RJ, do I really have to explain to you how a baby is made?

"It's just- I thought that we were, you know-"

"Yeah, well, we were drunk. And it never is guaranteed. 85%, and all that jazz."

"Oh, my God, I can't be a father! I've- I've got plans! I'm going for a scholarship! I- I just can't!" It was evident from the panic in his voice that the cool RJ "Blasemeister" Blaser was not as cool as previously thought.

"Look, Blaser, I'm not asking you to be a father."

"You're not? But I'm still going to need to pay child support, right? So you can raise the kid?"

"As if," Mary Anne scoffed. "I've got too many plans to raise a child."

"I thought that you loved kids."

"I do. That doesn't mean I want one."

"Well, I'm going to have to object if you want an abortion. My family is conservative, you know. My parents'll disown me if you have an abortion."

"Oh, yeah, and you'll get a whole bundle of praise when they find out you got drunk and had premarital sex."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find a lawyer tomorrow. All you'll have to do, fingers crossed, is sign some papers, saying that you give up your rights as a father."

"That's all?"

"Yeah. That's all."

"Well, okay. Where are you going?"

"For the lawyer? Probably Stamford."

"No. Where are you going to live while waiting for the baby to come, is what I meant."

"Uh, let me think. I was kind of figuring. . . my house."

"You can't stay in Stoneybrook! What'll everyone think?"

"Who cares what everyone'll think?"

"I care!"

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, only, like, a max of 20 people will know who the father is."

"No, it doesn't make me feel any better, but I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No, you haven't. Look, no one will blame you. Not fully, anyway. I bear half the blame and responsibility for this little problem we've created."

"Are you positive?" RJ sounded dubious.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Mary Anne heard the door open down stairs. "Look, RJ, my folks are home. My dad and stepmom are gonna blow a gasket. I've gotta go. Oh, and you might want to talk with a lawyer before you sign the papers I'll send you." With that said, she hung up the phone, just as her father and Sharon walked into her room.

"Mary Anne," said Sharon. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Actually," she replied, "No. I need to talk to you. I've got a problem."

"What is it, sweetheart?" asked Richard, sitting down next to her.

"This is very hard for me, so please don't yell at me. Promise?" Seeing their nods, Mary Anne dove in. "I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant?" Richard repeated. "Wha- But- How?"

"Daddy, I know that you're disappointed in me, and you too, Sharon. I'm really sorry."

"Who," Sharon said.

"Beg pardon?" Mary Anne asked, confused.

"Who is the father?" Sharon asked. "You do know, don't you?" she added in a sarcastic tone.

Mary Anne's jaw dropped. How dare Sharon think her to be some common tramp! "I don't know," she shot back, just as caustically. "They'll have to test the whole of the football and basketball teams."

Richard's jaw dropped this time. "Please," he said, "Tell me that you are joking."

"About the pregnancy or the football-basketball teams thing?"

"Both."

"The football-basketball teams thing, yes. The pregnancy, no."

"And you know that father."

"Yes."

"And he would be?"

"RJ Blaser."

"Star forward on the SHS basketball team?"

"You got it."

"No," Sharon interjected, "You have got it. How do you think that you are going to go to Columbia and take care of a baby at the same time?"

"I'm not," Mary Anne replied simply. "Going to take care of a baby, that is."

"Well, if you think that you can get an abortion and still live here, you are severely mistaken-"

"Sharon, chill. I'm not going to keep the baby, but I'm not going to have an abortion. I'll carry it to term, then have some nice family adopt it."

"Not in this town, you're not. We still have a respectable name here in Stoneybrook, and if you think-"

"No, Sharon. The family'll most likely live in Stamford. Of course, I don't know how respectable the family name will be for the rest of the school year. . ." 

"It doesn't matter. No one will know you in Palo."

"Say what?"

"Palo. Palo City. You'll live there."

"Like hell."

"You will live there. You can go to school with Dawn. Until you start to show, of course."

"No! I will go to school at SHS until I graduate. And that's that!"

"Now see here!" Richard said sternly to his wife. "If this is what Mary Anne wants to do, go to school here until the baby is born, then I will see to it that it happens."

"Richard, I don't know. What will people think of us?" Sharon asked.

"I don't think it matters what they think of us. It matters what they think of Mary Anne. Sweetheart, do you care what people think of you?"

"Not particularly," Mary Anne said matter-of-factly. "I only care about what you two and my friends think."

"So staying here to finish high school. . ."

"Wouldn't bother me in the least."

Richard took a deep breath. "Okay," he said. "The first think we should do tomorrow is take you to a doctor. Make sure you and the baby are healthy, and all. Sharon, can you call around to find a good obstetrician?"

"Fine," Sharon answered defeatedly. "I'll find someone."

"Thanks. Sharon," Mary Anne said softly. "I know this is going to be hard on you, but I don't think I could get through this without you."

"I'll try," Sharon replied, just as softly. "I really will."

"Next thing is to find an adoption lawyer," Richard continued. "I've got a few friends. I think we ought to call Angela. She's based out of New York City, though."

"If she's in the City, we can see her and Columbia at the same time," Mary Anne pointed out.

"True. I'll call her, and set up an appointment for tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, then."

"Is there anybody you'd like to talk to? Kristy, maybe?"

"Nah. I'll call her tomorrow."

"Good-night, then, Mary Anne."

"G'night, Daddy."


	3. Mary Anne

[Mary Anne][T-minus 10 years]

Title: Start Anew

Author: Sweet Piglet

AN the First: Hello, all. Time for "Answers from Sweet Piglet." Jaded Rose, I agree, it does seem like Mary Anne is too forward. But I think that Mary Anne had to grow strong to get through high school (goodness only knows that I had to), and maybe she grew a little too strong for everyone's liking. After being treated like a porcelain doll for so long, maybe it was for the best that she grew strong. *Stronger that yesterday, now it's nothing but my way. . . * To Rumidha: Yes, it DOES seem out of character, doesn't it? What everyone must remember is that this takes place in the older sitters' senior year of high school. People change a lot in only a few years. Like, in my eighth grade year, I never talked to the Grumpy Skipper. Of course, I had never met her, but if I had, we probably would not have talked. But now, we talk all the time! Like I said, people change. And SPEAKING of the Grumpy Skipper. . . : Þ . I happen to like having a little Lizzie C. in Mary Anne. 

On one final note, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I live for reviews!

Mary Anne knocked on the door at 1210 McLelland Road. Mrs. Brewer --had Mary Anne every called her Mrs. Thomas? After so long, it seemed like she never had-- answered the door.

"Mary Anne!" she said, her eyes flickering down to Mary Anne's eight month pregnant stomach. "How are you?"

"I'm pretty good," Mary Anne replied. "So is Baby Girl Last-Name-Unknown-As-Of-Yet," she added with a grin, placing her hands on her belly and giving it a gentle pat. "Is Kristy here?"

"Yes. Yes, she is. In the library, actually. Come in."

Mary Anne made her way through the crazy Thomas-Brewer household, until she reached the closed library door.

"Kristy?" she said, knocking softly. "Can I come in?"

There was a pause, then the door opened slightly. Mary Anne pushed slowly on the door, and when it opened all the way, she could see Kristy sitting down in a well-worn armchair.

"Hey," said Kristy, staring blankly at the wall behind Mary Anne.

"Hey. I came to say good-bye."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"You going with RJ to NCU?"

"Kristy. I told you. I am not marrying RJ."

"Why ever not?"

"I don't love him."

"So?"

"So, it wouldn't be right."

"And raising a baby alone, never having married the baby's father, is?"

"I'm not raising a baby!"

"I know! You have been ignoring the pleas of your stepmother, and your stepsister, and all your best friends this whole time. You should raise that baby!"

"Why?"

"Because that child is your flesh and blood! That baby is part of you, and you can't deny it!"

"I'm not denying it, Kristy!"

"By giving the baby away, you are."

"Kristy, this baby deserves more than I can give her."

"She deserves her mother!"

"She will. A mother depends on who raises her."

"It is not the same! She deserves to know who she is half of! She deserves to know you!"

"Kristy, I think that this has stopped being about me, and started being about your father having left you when you were 6."

"It has not!"

"Yes, it has! Now listen to me. I. Cannot. Take care. Of this child. I am telling you that now. I am not going to take care of this child for six years, or eight years, or ten years, or six months, and then leave her. She WILL have a loving mother, AND a loving father."

"You know what, Mary Anne?"

"What?"

"I don't care anymore. Anyway, maybe it's for the best that the baby doesn't know you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Then she won't know that she was an illegitimate child born to an eighteen year old slut."

"How dare you! Just because your father ignored you from the time you were six until you were thirteen, got back into your life, and has begun ignoring you once more, and now you think that you deserve all the sympathy in the world, does NOT give you any right to call me a slut. Now, I've dealt with your mood swings every single time you get a call from Patrick, and I've supported your romance with Bart, even after the time he went after Shannon-"

"Bart's going after Shannon was an accident! He was drunk!"

"Yeah? Well, I was drunk that night --that ONE NIGHT-- with RJ, yet you continue to tell me how awful a person that makes me. Well, I've had enough. I'm leaving Stoneybrook, and I'm not coming back any time soon."

"Fine by me! GO to New York City, BECOME a screenwriter, MAKE IT big. It'll never happen. You'll come back to Stoneybrook, broke, and sad because you gave away your baby."

"Fat chance, Kristin Amanda Thomas. I'll make it big, and you'll wish you had not had this fight with me, so that you could say, 'Oh, Mary Anne Spier? Yeah, she's my best friend. We've known each other since we were, I don't know, a few months old. I've supported her through all the hard times in life.' But you won't say that, because I don't want to see you ever again! I'm leaving!" Mary Anne stood and walked to the door.

"Good-bye!"

"Good-bye, and GOOD RIDDANCE!" Mary Anne slammed the door. She leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, and took a few deep breaths. She opened her eyes, and, expressionless, made her way back to the front door.

"Have a good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Brewer," she called, and let herself out of the house.

After Mary Anne climbed back into the car, Dawn turned to her. "How did it go?"

"Not. Well," Mary whispered tersely.

"Ah." As Dawn drove off, Mary Anne bid a final farewell to the best friend she had ever had.

AN the Second: Okay, that's all for now. Can anybody guess what's bugging Kristy? Come on, now, I know that you can do it. I'll even give you a hint. Wait. No, I won't. You'll have to guess all by yourselves.

Mean while, I need a name. The first person to tell me where we know RJ Blaser from gets a cameo. I need a female, and her name and personality. You know, dour, serious, vibrant. And she can't be related to the sitters in any way, shape, or form.


	4. Mary Anne

[Mary Anne] [10 years]

Title: Start Anew

Author: Sweet Piglet

AN the First: Hello, all! Disneyland was wonderful. It really gave me a chance to relax. If anyone wants to know, I ate lunch at Club 33, which is this really high-class joint inside the park. Email me if you want to know more about it.

Enough of the commercial break. Time for _Answers from Sweet Piglet_. **becca**, thank you very much for your description of your friend. It is very nice of you to dedicate your cameo to her. It will help me very much. **SUNNYEXISTENCE**, I have no problems with you not guessing. Especially since you are the **_HONORED_** **_REVIEWER_** **_OF_** **_THE_** **_CHAPTER_**!!!!!! Woo-hoo! You were chosen because you reviewed every single chapter. **Katerina**, thank you for saying so. I wanted to give you all a little something before I left for DL, so I had to rush it a little. That's why it is so short compared to the others. Also, I'm sorry to hear that you had trouble posting. FanFiction.Net really ought to do something about the review system. It says that I've only 27 reviews, when in actuality I have 28. Not that I'm counting, or anything. . . **teacherchez**, I'm glad you like it, and here's the more. **Banana_Split**, thank you. I wanted Kristy to have a confrontation with Mary Anne on her own turf (Astro?) so that she wouldn't feel overly threatened, which is how they ended up at Kristy's house. And thanks for agreeing to review again. **JeN**, yes, I try to be unique in everything I love, which is why I was the only one in orchestra with a practice buddy at the scroll of her violin. **CNJ**, as for the others' reaction, here it is! **greer**, believe me. I know how weird it must seem to have a lot of them stay in Stoneybrook and vicinity. But I thought that a lot of them would want to stay near their families, you know? And when it comes to marrying people from middle school, I did it for one reason. I liked the couples. I thought that Sam and Stacey were cute together, and same for Mal and Ben and Jessi and Quint. Plus, I don't like to make up characters. I like to use the ones AMM gave us and twist them around for my own twisted amusement. And, finally, to **Shannon**, thatnk you. I fully intend to go on.

This chapter is dedicated to The Rogues, a Celtic band from Florida, merely because they are really, **really**, _really_, really, **_REALLY_** cute. It is dedicated to them because they are cute. They are not a band because they are cute. Just wanted to clear that up.

Now on with the show!

Back at the house, Mary Anne was busy packing what was left to take with her to Columbia. Her favorite books she had left to the last day, along with her scripts, and that unfinished novel she kept meaning to pick up and scribble in.

Mary Anne knew what dorm she would be in, but not who her roommate was going to be. She had her fingers crossed that the two of them would get along.

She knew that people thought she had changed, that she wasn't easy going, that she had grown hard, and was too harsh on life.

Mary Anne was okay with that. After all, she figured, it had to be better than her old self, the one who let others walk over her, who never took control. She liked the new Mary Anne a whole heckuva lot better.

There were only a few things left in the room that she was taking with her. For kicks, she planned on bringing along the plush hippo that Alex had won for her in Sea City, when she went with Stacey and the Pikes. She'd been thirteen then.

No, not thirteen. She was twelve. God, had she ever been twelve? It didn't seem like it. She had to have been though. She was twelve when Kristy started the BSC, twelve when she met Dawn, twelve when she met Logan. She was thirteen when Kristy disbanded the BSC and restarted it, thirteen when Dawn's mom and Mary Anne's dad got married, thirteen when Dawn moved to California, then back to Stoneybrook, the back to California, thirteen when she and Logan broke up, got back together, and broke up again.

But she wasn't thirteen anymore. She was eighteen, a high school graduate, about to give birth, about to graduate high, about to start at Columbia. About to start the rest of her life, however cliché that sounded.

"Knock, knock," Dawn said, snapping Mary Anne from her thoughts.

"Oh. Hey," Mary Anne replied.

"Do you need help with anything?" Dawn asked, clearly meaning something more important that packing up.

"Nah. I'll be okay. With everything."

"Are you sure? You looked pretty upset when you came out of Kristy's house."

"Well, I was. And I still am. Dawn, how could she do this to me? This is, like, the hardest decision that I will ever have to make in my entire life, and she thinks that I'm doing it for fun!"

"Mary Anne, Kristy is going through some hard times, just like you. Only, unlike you, she doesn't know how to deal. I mean, her father's new wife just had a new baby, and Patrick is telling Kristy all about little Tony, and how wonderful children are, like he had never raised a baby before, and for once Kristy can't control her anger that her dad walked out on her, her mother, and her three brothers."

"That is no excuse!"

"You're right. She had no right to take out her anger on you. That is why I suggested she start seeing Dr. Reese."

"You told her she should see a therapist?" Mary Anne was flabbergasted. Kristy thought herself to be the most stable individual on the planet. "How did she take it?"

"If you take into account her throwing Emily's wiffle ball and plastic bat in the general area around my head, very poorly."

"Well, she's not the only one who disapproves of me. Everyone else is acting like I've managed to break every major sin in one go."

"Abby doesn't."

"No. No, she doesn't. It's because of her dad."

"Her dad?"

"Yeah. She told me that it wouldn't have been right for me to take on the challenge of raising a baby by myself. That if something would happen to me, she would have no daddy to take her in. And she was right."

"Yep. But I still can't believe everyone else turned their backs on you."

"Well, if they want to play 'Let's Shun Mary Anne,' they're welcome to do so. I managed quite nicely without them."

"I'll say. Man, I can't believe how popular you became after getting pregnant. You are getting calls every three seconds."

"It isn't popularity, Dawn, it is curiosity. Some of those girls are only going to college to get their M.R.S., with a minor in mothering. I was Pregnancy 101. 'Mary Anne, what does it feel like when the baby kicks?' 'What are the pros and cons of not taking any pain medication during labor, do you know?' 'Is it better to get, like, five months clothes, and nine months clothes, so you get your money out of them?' I should have charged tuition."

"What about the guys?"

"Well, they were nice enough. The basketball team, especially, took good care of me. Did you know that RJ made them carry my stuff when I started to show? They worked out a system. One would wait at my locker before school, escort me to class, then escort me back to my locker, where I would be picked up by another basketball player, and the whole thing would start again."

"Why would RJ make them carry your stuff?"

"Because he was afraid that I'd blab who the father was. He was trying to buy my silence."

"Who does he think he is, Danny Santos?"

"Probably. Anyway, like I'd want to suffer the humiliation of having to admit that I slept with. . . him."

Dawn burst out laughing. "Too true. But didn't you say that there were other guys who flocked to you?"

"I wouldn't call it 'flocking,' per se. But yeah, Cary and Alan-"

"Alan Gray?"

"No, Alan Rickman. Yes, Alan Gray. Don't give me that look, Dawn Read Schafer, he grew up. And Pete and Dave and a bunch of others that I can't think of off-hand. Everyone was nice to me. With the blatant exception of my ex-friends."

There was an awkward silence, filling the room, and Dawn had to get out. "Well, if you don't need anymore help packing. . ."

"No, I've got it under control. Thanks, Dawn."

"No prob, sis."

"Oh, and Dawn," Mary Anne said as her stepsister was about step out into the hall.

"Yes?"

"I'm really glad that your school lets out early. I don't know what I would have done about Kristy if you weren't here."

"I'm really glad, too."

Mary Anne sat in the silence of her room, not even noticing that she was still squeezing the big purple hippo.


	5. Kristy

[Kristy] [10 years]

Title: Start Anew

Author: Sweet Piglet

AN the First: Yes, I know, it has been over a month since I last updated. But I'm sure that the time was well worth it, because after all, I got not one, not two, but. . . Oh, wait. No, it was only two chapters that I finish. Never mind.

Anyway, here you go. I thought that I would make up for my long break with a different perspective. Happy days. *These happy days are yours and mine, happy days.* 

Now it's time for more of everyone's favorite part of the author's note. That's right, it's _Answers from Sweet Piglet_!: **Wicked Witch of Slytherin** I love your new penname! I call myself the 'Wicked Photographer of the East,' because I've got these black and white striped toe socks, and . . . Well, never mind. Thank you (AGAIN) for reviewing. **Brandi** I know. This is NOT updating soon. I know! I promise to update again by 7:00 pm EST on Friday, August 1st. Cool beans? **Banana_Split**, I am so glad that you liked the last sentence. Personally, I think that the very end of my chapters are the best part. I like to keep the last bit in the readers' minds. **Katerina** One of the best you've read anywhere? Truth be told, I nearly started crying when I read that. I mean, there are a LOT of good BSC stories out there. Thank you so much. **BalletPrincess**, your reaction is exactly what I was going for when I wrote it. **deemarie**, thank you, thank you very much. **teacherchez** I'm glad you think so! **the grumpy skipper** You know, I really am going to have to convince you to get an account. What is with this 'Anonymous' business? I know who you are, so why should reviews say that I don't? Also, you are the **_HONORED REVIEWER OF THE CHAPTER!!!_** The Grumpy Skipper has had this honor bestowed (ha! stow, BEstow? Yeah, I don't get it either) upon her because she brought me back something from her trip to England that I love very much. **_MIND THE GAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_** . "In her head, between her ears," says Christa. **Eye of the Jedi**, I think you'll find the answer to the "what happened" question in this chapter. . . **Lola**, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. **Lee**, I'm glad that there are people from places besides America reading my stories. What part of Canada are you from?

Well, that is all. **For now**. Beware. Eh. School is starting soon, and I can't get enough energy pent up to sign off with some witty comment. See you around.

"Goodness, Kristy," said Mrs. Brewer. "What on Earth was going on in here? Was that Mary Anne and you yelling?"

"Yes," Kristy responded sullenly.

"I'll have to apologize to Karen, then."

"Why?"

"I told her that if she was going to watch her soaps here, she'll have to turn the volume down. A lot. Now I see that it wasn't her. No wonder she was sitting so close to the television. . ."

"Mom."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Kristy said.

"Okay, then," said Mrs. Brewer, turning for the door.

"I just don't understand her."

"Mary Anne?"

"Yeah. She's ruining her life."

"How's that, now?"

"By giving away the baby. She will regret it forever."

"Why do you say that?"

"She won't be able to see the baby grow up. She'll miss out on everything."

"What if she gets married, and has another child?"

"She'll still miss the first. I know she will. She's my best friend. We know everything about each other."

"Does she know that Bart proposed to you last night?"

"Well," Kristy admitted, "No. I didn't tell her that."

"Mm-hm. And did you tell her that you accepted?"

Kristy rolled her eyes. "Well, if she doesn't know that he proposed, chances are likely that I didn't. Tell her, that is."

"I see. And did you tell her that you have a date in mind already?"

"No! No, I didn't tell her any of that. Not that I should have, anyway. She just walked in here and started yelling about me about how I've got it all wrong," Kristy said sulkily

"Kristy, sweetie, can I give you a little advice?"

"Of course. As long as you take my side in the end."

"Well, I'm not going to. Kristy, you are going to be an adult in an extremely short amount of time, and I wife not long after that. You have to grow up. In the real world, you will not be able to convince everyone to eschew someone you personally do not like. It doesn't work that way. And honestly, I don't know how you managed to turn everyone against poor Mary Anne like you did."

"It was really hard," Kristy said softly. "They didn't want to believe that Mary Anne had changed. Neither did I." She swallowed. "I was hoping that this would be like that thing with her hair in the 8th grade. We'd ignore her, she'd grow desperate to get back in our good graces, she'd agree to keep the baby, and we'd all be friends again."

"It didn't work that way, though, did it?" Mrs. Brewer murmured as she sat down next to Kristy and hugged her little girl.

"No, it didn't," she replied, close to tears. "She's changed, Mom. She doesn't need me anymore." Kristy started to sob, to lose the façade she had kept since Mary Anne had (indifferently, it seemed) told her that she was pregnant, and planned to let someone adopt the baby. Most importantly, she saw how wrong she had been. She didn't have to approve of Mary Anne's decision. But if they were really best friends, she should have been able to support her.

"Oh, God, Mom," Kristy wailed, "I am a horrible, horrible friend!"

"No! No no no no, Kristy. You are not a horrible friend." Mrs. Brewer took hold of her daughter's shoulders and shook her a little. "Kristy, you have very set ideas about how a parent should care for a baby. That is why you made such a good baby-sitter, and that is why you will make such a good mother. Because you will go out of your way to make sure that your children have what they need, and to an extent, what they want. But Mary Anne has different set ideas on a family. She is going to be going to college any day now, and she wants her baby to have a mother and a father, a set of parents that have the time and love to give to a baby whose mother couldn't take care of her. Mary Anne knows that if she keeps the baby, that little girl will not grow up with what she could have. You and Mary Anne are two very different people. That was one of the reasons you were such good friends."

"But, but, but," Kristy sputtered, "I said all sorts of nasty stuff to her. How could I be a good friend if I said that?"

"That was wrong of you, I'll agree. But I think that you need to tell Mary Anne what you've realized. And the sooner, the better."

Kristy nodded. "Tomorrow," she vowed. "I'll tell her first thing tomorrow."

"That sounds like a good idea."

At seven thirty the next morning, Kristy walked up the path to the Spiers' house, and knocked on the door.

Sharon Spier answered. "Good morning, Mrs. Spier," Kristy said.

"Kristy? What are you doing here?"

"I'm, well. . . I'm here to apologize to Mary Anne."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes, well, that was what I was going to start out with. Why? Do you think that I should begin with something different?"

"Kristy, dear, I'm sorry that I've got to be the one to tell you this, but. . ."

Kristy felt a chill go through her. "What's wrong?" she asked urgently. "Is Mary Anne okay? The baby?"

"No, no, they're both fine. It's just that. . . Kristy, Mary Anne for New York City left an hour ago."


	6. Claudia

Title: Start Anew

Author: Sweet Piglet

AN the First: I'm sorry, I get dates confused easily, and what with school and all, I just get befuddled. I have much sorrow. This chapter is dedicated to my reviewers from the North, Courtny and Lee. 

****

Banana_Split My story is sad, isn't it? Well, that personally is my favorite kind. I like teen angst stories. Yeah, she should have woken up early, but who would have guessed Mary Anne would have been gone by then?. . .** Eye of the Jedi** Thank you for saying so, and here is the next chapter!. . . **SCKX** Myriah was wearing black because she had gone punk/Goth/whatever. I was trying to point out that no matter how things seem to change, some things never do (hence Myriah's smile being mentioned). . . **BalletPrincess** *lip curl* Thank you, thank you very much. . . **Katerina** Mwah-ha-ha-ha. Yes, I am evil. I've always wanted to make a cliffhanger. It was very "All My Children" of me, wasn't it? And again, thank you. . . **Christy** Well, thank you. I like to mess around with people's mind, make Johnny them Depp think is what a I hot want hot them hot to pirate think., you know?. . . **With Love** Thanks a bundle! I fully hope that this thing continues forever. . . **Lee** No problem, as long as you do review. And you have a well enough grasp on the language, considering that you were most likely raised speaking French. I took three years of Latin, and for the most part, I can do the whole _amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant_ bit. Oh, and I can say "You are an ugly tree.". . . **CNJ** Yes, well, hindsight is always 20/20. I just wish that it wasn't too late. Well, actually, I don't or else I wouldn't have a story, but you know what I mean, right? Everything will be okay in the end, I guarantee. . . **Courtny** Yes, Mary Anne is a bit out of character, but as grumpy skipper pointed out, I put a little of me into my characters to make them appeal to me. . .

[2 years]

"Hello, Ms. Kishi. How lovely to see you again! What can we here at Lord and Taylor help you with today?"

"Well, you see-" Claudia stalled, racking her brain for the personal shopper's name. Reba? No. Jessica? No. Rebecca? Yes! "You see, Rebecca, I've got a gallery opening this Friday. My black-and-white collection?"

Rebecca nodded, confirming that she had heard about the opening. _Duh_, Claudia thought to herself, _Everyone has heard of the opening. It is the biggest thing to hit this town since the deep-dish pizza._

"Anyway, the reception is going to be a black and white ball. So, I was thinking of wearing a white gown. Strapless, with a flowy skirt. I guess I'm looking for something that looks like a wedding dress, but isn't, you know what I mean? Something that I can maybe get some rosettes sewn onto the bottom of?"

Nodding eagerly, Rebecca said, "Let me take a look at what we have, and I'll be back soon. Would you like a drink? A Sidecar? A Cosmopolitan? A Manhattan?"

"Considering that we're in Chicago, I don't think that a Manhattan would be a proper drink," Claudia joked. "Besides, I want to keep a clear head so that I can pick out the most perfect dress. I think that I'll stick with a cranberry juice."

"I'll have someone bring that to you straight away, Ms. Kishi," Rebecca said, then started to walk away.

"Rebecca!" Another personal shopper scurried up to her. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but Ms. Spier just called. She just finished her lunch at Sbarro's, and is heading up here now."

"I can't take her," Rebecca said, flustered. "I'm helping Ms. Kishi now."

"Well, what do we do? She's your client."

Rebecca bit her lip. "When she gets here, ask if it is all right if Vicki and Jo Anne help her with her shopping today."

"Do you think she'll be okay with that?"

"She'll be fine with it," Claudia heard herself speak up. "Mary Anne is easy going, and I'm sure she'll understand if Rebecca is with someone."

The two personal shoppers were amazed. "You mean to say that you know Mary Anne Spier?"

"Well," Claudia said slowly, "We went to high school together, so I suppose that you could say that I know her." Satisfied at hearing that two of their most prominent customers were acquainted with one another, the personal shoppers went about their business.

What Claudia didn't tell them was how well she knew Mary Anne Spier. They had grown up together, lived next door to one another for thirteen years. They had gone shopping for junior prom dresses together in Hartford. And then they had fallen out. All because Kristy had convinced them, herself and Stacey and everyone else, that Mary Anne would change her mind once they started leaving her out of stuff.

And then Kristy changed her mind, and they realized what they had done. They all realized how stupid and mean and cruel and ignorant and just plain selfish they all were.

But it was too late. Mary Anne had gone off to New York City, and that was the last anyone in Stoneybrook had heard of her for five years. Until her screenplay, _Woven_, was nominated for and won the Academy Award for best screenplay. Everyone in town was glued to the screen that night. One of their own had made it big, like she had said she would.

That was not the last time Claudia had seen Mary Anne on TV. She was on some show or another, talking about her life, and about how _Woven_ was based on the life of a friend of hers.

A friend of hers. Suuure. The screenplay was about a girl in a small town, who got drunk for the first time in her life, got pregnant, and when she desperately needed her friends, they were nowhere to be found. Sounded like Mary Anne's own life to Claudia.

And suddenly, in the Chicago Lord and Taylor, Mary Anne appeared, wanting a personal shopper. She, it appeared, spied Claudia at the same time Claudia spied her. Instead of the normally calm, cool, and collected Mary Anne that was always on TV, a confused Mary Anne was staring at Claudia, most likely wondering how she had had the bad luck to stumble upon someone she never wanted to see again.

Claudia had to say something. "Mary Anne, I-"

"Are you ready to look at some of the gowns, Ms. Kishi?" interrupted Rebecca. "Oh, Ms. Spier. You're here already. I'm terribly sorry, but I'm already helping Ms. Kishi. But Vicki and Jo Anne are ready to help you find a nice suit. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Mary Anne faintly. "I understand."

Rebecca beamed. "Ms. Kishi said you most likely would. I understand that they two of you knew each other at school?"

"Yes," said Mary Anne, shooting a look at Claudia, "We know each other."

"How wonderful! Well, Ms. Kishi, if you follow me, I have a number of lovely gowns that would look absolutely stunning at your opening."

"Right away," said Claudia, and stood and began to follow Rebecca to the dressing rooms. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Mary Anne standing where she was, watching her. Mary Anne quickly averted her eyes. Once again, the last Claudia saw of Mary Anne, she had been walking away from her.

And she was as alone now as she had been then.


End file.
